As recently
as 2001, an area radio reading service was merely a topic of discussion
by a small group of interested individuals seeking to improve the
quality of life for local blind and visually impaired citizens.
As previous initiatives to begin such a service had fallen on fallow
ground, some measure of pessimism was evident in those early conversations.
Regardless, another run at the concept was mustered and the rest,
as they say, is history.

DERRS, which has been on the air since 2003,
is an efficient and effective operation currently serving more than
1,000 individual listeners and listening stations 24 hours a day
from its studio in the Tarrytown Center in Rocky Mount. In
addition to individual home settings, the programming is accessible
to every patient bed at Nash General Hospital, Wilson Medical
Center, and Heritage Hospital.

More
than 100 volunteer directors, officers, and readers manage and staff
the service, which has no paid employees. Operations are funded
through the generosity of individual, civic and corporate patrons.
To learn how you might be a part of radio reading in our area, refer
to other sections of this web site.